A year ago today, a close family friend gave me the opportunity to taste Pappy Van Winkle for the first time. It was a Christmas surprise that I throughly enjoyed. Since the Facebook memory popped up today, I want to take a few moments and reflect on my tasting and answer the question:

Is Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year worth the hype?

Well yes and no. Let me explain my review a little more.

Was it an amazing bourbon?

Yes. It might have been one of the smoothest bourbons I have ever consumed in my life. It was rich, flavorful, and down right incredible.

What makes it special?

The taste is the first thing that makes it special. Like I mentioned, it was truly an amazing bourbon. But there is more to it than that. The lore and the rarity of the bottle and the bourbon line in general is what makes it special. How many times in my life am I going to get to try something like Pappy? My guess is I can count it on 1 hand and I might already be at my limit. It’s a very special occasion to be able to taste this and it meant a lot that my friend was willing to share a taste last Christmas Eve.

Would I pay MSRP for a bottle?

I would pay the MSRP of $199.99 any day of the week for this bottle. In a restaurant, I would pay up to $30 a pour for it (no questions asked).

Would I pay a premium for a bottle or a pour?

This is where the “no” starts coming in as I look at the question of is it worth the hype. I don’t think it’s worth the secondary market price. I get this is a rare bottle of bourbon, but you are not going to see me shelling out over $300 for a bottle of this, let alone thousands of dollars. I don’t believe a bottle of bourbon can be worth that much for the taste alone. I think it’s really more about the luxury idea of having a bottle and that just isn’t something I am into.

When I drink bourbon, I want to share and enjoy with my family and friends. I don’t want to put it on a shelf and never take a drink. If I paid $1,000+ for a bottle of bourbon like Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, I would be scared to death to ever open it. And that’s just not how bourbon should be.

So is Pappy worth the hype? Yes, but only to a point (a certain price point that is). After that (and it will vary by person), I think you are better off spending your money on other bottles of bourbon.

Have you tried anything else in the Van Winkle lineup?

Yes I have. About two weeks before trying Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, I found a reasonably priced pour of Old Rip Van Winkle at a bourbon bar in Indy. I was out celebrating the end of a semester of teaching and I was with my wife and a good friend. My wife convinced me to splurge and try it, so I didn’t argue with here smarts.

And I would say the same holds true to my comments above. This was a great pour of bourbon and one I won’t soon forget, but I wouldn’t pay a premium for it. I think there are other bourbons at lower price points that give me a bigger bang for my buck. Don’t get me wrong, I would never turn down a pour of a unicorn bourbon, but I’m not sure I’m willing to shell out the cash to have one drink. I would rather spend that same amount of money on a few great bottles of other whiskey (barrel selects or other allocated bottles).

That’s just one man’s opinion and as my wife tells me from time to time, that one man can be wrong. What are your thoughts on the Pappy family of bourbon? Are they worth the hype? How much would you be willing to spend to get a taste (or a bottle)?